After the superhero/noir blowout of episode 2, I’m not surprised that Spider-Noir’s third episode has felt the need to conserve a bit of energy. But then, surely that’s the benefit of being able to swing so naturally between two completely different genres, right? When you want to change up gears, then all you have to do is switch to a more superhero based thread and have our tormented hero spectacularly bust some heads; but if you need to pump the brakes a little, then simply slip into your film noir guise and let the more subtle if the two genres take the strain.
A perfect example of this would be the transition of “Double Cross” from the rollicking spider-action of the previous installment, that sees Ben Reilly begrudgingly still cling to the mantle of the Spider, but utilise his powers in a smarter, less flashy sort of way.
The webs may remain mostly un-thwipped, but the plot is certainly thickening.
After his well-meaning attempt to strong-arm Silvermane resulted in the mob boss inadvertently missing a police sting operation mounted to arrest him, Ben Reilly is kicking himself about blowing a chance to get the mob boss off his back for good. Still, there’s no point crying over spilt web fluid, so Reilly tries to get his head back in the game, which proves to be fairly difficult when Silvermane and a couple of goons walk into his office. It’s seem9s that after his near miss with the cops, the mobster wants to hire Reilly to use his P.I. skills to uncover who tipped him off to the NYPD, which proves to be especially ironic considering those self same thugs were trashing this very office a few hours earlier. While Silvermane’s number two, Winston, isn’t exactly thrilled about Reilly’s involvement, Ben sees this a perfect opportunity to figure a few things out and even cause dissention in the ranks of the criminal organisation.
Meanwhile, Robbie Robertson is also trying to uncover various mysteries related to the superpowered individuals suddenly appearing all over the place. Figuring out that the late pyrophore, Addison; the sand-powered Flint Marko; and tough-skinned Lonnie Lincoln were all POWs together during World War I, he goes to find Lincoln once more only to get a front row seat to his abilities when the police arrive to raid the impoverished neighbourhood. With the connection made between the three men, the common denominator ultimately proves to be Cat Hardy, who turns out to be the one who put the initial hit out on Silvermane. But Reilly decides to use his Spider powers to try and throw the mob boss off her scent by manipulating a little trick the criminal does with his money. Figuring out that gangster marks his cash in different ways to keep track of all of his employees, Ben tries to frame Winston for Cat’s assassination attempt – but even if Silvermane buys it, what’s to stop him plugging Ben and Cat anyway?
It almost feels like the showrunners are saying “you got your superhero stuff last episode, now it’s time for some film-noir stuff”, but if you’ve primarily signed on for non-stop, web-slinging action, don’t worry because the show still approaches its more murkier, criminal aspects with the same, free-wheeling sense of fun it reserves for moments of masked men webbing up thugs. Of course, the main facilitating factor of this is still the fascinating dedication Nicolas Cage brings to making his role as bizarre as possible, as he not only chomps down on all that hard-boiled dialogue with delicious vigour, but he even showcases yet another voice of his deranged repartee of over the top 30’s voices with a comically exaggerated swing at Edward G. Robinson. However, the downshift in pace means that we get to see more of what differentiates Spider-Noir from his more colourful variants.
For a start, a sequence that sees him use his abilities to break into Silvermane’s apartment is fascinating as it contains some very un-Peter Parker type behaviour. Scanning the joint with his light-up (and incredibly cool) spider-goggles while the gangster sleeps, he uses his webs to gum up door locks, his spider-sense to crack a safe and his innate stickiness to cling to a ceiling to avoid detection when Silvermane suddenly wakes up. While we all love a bit of the old thwip and quip when it comes to the rapidly growing number of Spider-Folk found in various forms of media, watching Reilly use his talents for something more low-key than punching a guy in a rhino suits proves to be fairly gripping.
Speaking of special talents, it seems that it’s time Lonnie Lincoln got in on the act as he displays powers similar to his comic book namesake. But while classic Tombstone is a ruthless albino with unbreakable skin and filed down teeth, Tombstone-Noir is something more of a benevolent character who has kept his natural skin tone, but can harden his epidermis at will and display awe inspiring super strength. Even more intriguing is that all these super-dudes are part of a trio (well, duo after Addison bought it) and seem to just want to be left alone. However, what with Flint Marko’s powers starting to negatively effect his health, it’s nice to see Spidey antagonists show some camaraderie, especially after the shifting alliances of Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s soon revealed that Cat is glue that connects them to the problems with Silvermane, and while this is hardly a stunning revelation for anyone well versed with the comings and goings of film noir (sultry dames aways have something going on), it does mean that a sizable batch of the central mystery has already been solved.
On the other hand, it allows us to see just how sneaky Ben Reilly can be, as his complex scam involving marked bills, ringers, breaking & entering and a healthy dose of subterfuge pays off in style. Framing Winston for Cat’s crime, Silvermane is manipulated by Ben into believing that his lieutenant is the one who is trying to rub him out and promptly shoots him dead. However, a cliffhanger ending suggests that Winston wasn’t the only one to catch a bullet. But regardless of who the unlucky recipient of that lead pill is, basing an episode precisely around how wily our hero is is an exceptionally great way to explore the real depth and breadth of what our hero is truly capable of. Sure, the webs and sticking power are handy, but it’s Ben’s grey matter that really makes the difference, especially considering that this is one Spider-Man who doesn’t mind getting his hands far dirtier than his peers.
While the pace may have slowed, that doesn’t mean that Spider-Noir hasn’t got other muscles to flex and it’s good that the show is just as serious about the “Noir” part of Spider-Noir than it is about the “Spider”. After all, it’s the main aspect of the character that makes him truly stand out from the wall-crawler crowd, so why not run with it, see?
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